Out of respect for the depth and impact of my work, I don’t chase clients, I choose them.

After decades in corporate and years spent coaching — including mentoring coaches through iPEC — I know my work is too deep (and too effective) to waste on misaligned partnerships.

If your culture is stuck, your people are disengaged, or you know something needs to change but you’re still “thinking on it” — let’s call it what it is: expensive denial. It drains morale, drives turnover, and slowly eats away at everything you’re trying to build.

If you're ready to lead like you mean it — I’m your person. If not, no hard feelings. Just... don’t wait until it hurts.

Culture is like wet cement. At first, it’s soft—you can shape it. But if you leave it alone too long, it hardens. And it might not turn out the way you want.

Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s shaped every day by what leaders say and do. Every choice, meeting, and message helps build the culture.

Still, many teams feel tired, stressed, or unmotivated. Why? Because some important needs aren’t being met.

According to two psychologists, Edward Deci and Richard Ryan, people need three big things at work to feel good and do their best:

• Autonomy – I get to make some choices

• Competence – I feel like I’m learning and improving

• Relatedness – I feel included and cared about

When these needs are met, people feel excited to work. They bring their ideas and energy. When they’re not, people feel bored, frustrated, or left out.

The most effective leaders know this—and shape a culture where people can grow and thrive.

Are you intentionally shaping your culture while the cement is still wet—or unintentially letting it harden by accident?

Background:
I work on a software team that supports the internationalization of HCM software across 44 cultures. It’s complex, fast-moving work that requires deep collaboration—and I genuinely enjoy it.

Why? Because the way we work supports what people truly need to stay engaged and energized.

What We Do:

• Developers choose the tasks they want to work on, giving everyone a real sense of autonomy and ownership over their contributions.

• We hold weekly team recognitions, where wins (big and small) are acknowledged, and we regularly see how our skills are growing—building real competence.

• When someone hits a challenge in our daily scrums, others jump in to help without hesitation. This strong sense of relatedness makes the team feel connected and cared for, even across time zones.

Results:

• Satisfaction and motivation are high across the team.

• When team members feel trusted to choose their work and are supported to grow, productivity and engagement rise naturally.

• Team morale is strong, collaboration is easy, and burnout is rare.

Takeaway:
This isn’t just theory—I live it every day. When leaders and teams support autonomy, competence, and relatedness, people show up with energy and pride.
I know it works because I see it—and feel it—in my work daily.